Huskers Battle in Five-Set Comeback Win

Bloomington, Ind. - The No. 4 Nebraska volleyball team (13-2, 5-1) used a gutsy effort to overcome the Indiana Hoosiers 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-10) Saturday night at University Gymnasium on the campus of Indiana University. With the win, the Huskers posted a 2-0 record on the road over the weekend after sweeping the No. 12 Purdue Boilermakers on Friday night.

NU saw two Huskers tally double-doubles in the match as Gina Mancuso led NU on the night with 14 kills and 10 digs. Hannah Werth had 12 kills and 13 digs, while Hayley Thramer notched 10 kills and four blocks. Meghan Haggerty had 10 kills and five blocks, as Alexa Strange came on strong for NU, posting seven kills on nine attacks (.778). Lauren Cook tabbed 52 assists for the Huskers.

Nebraska hit .335 in the match, while Indiana tallied a .290 hitting percentage. Nebraska out-blocked the Hoosiers 11-6, but were out-dug 55-67.

The Hoosiers took an early 5-3 lead in the first set, before the Huskers took an 11-9 lead on a kill by Thramer. Nebraska used a pair of errors by Indiana to take a 16-11 lead, forcing IU to call a timeout. A kill by Mancuso and an ace from Sheridan Zarda gave NU a 19-14 advantage. Nebraska stretched its lead to 22-18 on a kill by Thramer, before the Hoosiers came back to make it 22-20, NU. Nebraska would go on to close out the Hoosiers in a 25-23 first-set win on a block by Haggerty.

Mancuso, Thramer and Morgan Broekhuis all led the Huskers in the first set with three kills each. Cook notched 12 assists as NU hit .440 for the set. Indiana tabbed a .333 team hitting percentage.

In the second set, a 4-0 run gave Indiana a 10-5 lead before Werth ended the Husker scoring drought with a kill. Another kill by Haggerty put NU within 16-11. The Huskers then cut the Indiana lead to three, guided by Broekhuis as she tallied back-to-back kills, making it 18-15, IU. The Hoosiers responded with a 3-0 run of their own, leading 22-17. Nebraska would not be able to overcome the deficit as the Hoosiers took the second set 25-18, tying the match at one set apiece.

Broekhuis notched five kills in the second set, while Werth had three of her own. Cook had 12 assists as the Huskers hit .209 for the set. Indiana notched a .292 hitting percentage in set two and out-dug the Huskers 25-23.

Thramer recorded two kills to start the third set, while Werth came on strong for a kill and solo block to give Nebraska a 7-3 lead. Indiana tied the set at 9-9 on a service ace, while the Hoosiers went on to take a 13-10 lead. Werth used a kill to tie the set at 13-13, followed by an ace from Mancuso to make it 14-13, Huskers. Indiana fought back, using a 3-0 run to go up 16-14, while Haggerty used a kill to make it 19-17, Hoosiers. Nebraska would not be able to make up for lost ground, losing the third set 25-20 and trailing 2-1 in the match.

In the third set, Haggerty led the Huskers with five kills, while Thramer had four. Cook had 11 assists, as the Huskers hit .382 in the set. Indiana notched a .514 hitting percentage and out-dug NU 15-12.

Nebraska opened the fourth set with a 4-3 lead on an error by IU. Indiana continued strung together three consecutive points for a 10-6 advantage, while Nebraska used a timeout. Werth notched two straight kills as an Indiana error put NU within one at 12-11. Aided by three consecutive hitting errors by Indiana and a block from Haggerty, the Huskers took a 17-14 lead. A kill by Strange gave NU a 22-16 advantage, and powering NU to the 25-17 third-set win.

Werth had five kills for NU in the fourth set, while Strange totaled three kills. Cook notched 10 assists as the Huskers hit .294. Indiana hit .053 in the fourth set, and Nebraska out-blocked IU 4-1, while both teams had 12 digs.

Mancuso used a kill to give NU a 2-1 lead early in the fifth set, but Indiana came back to tie it at 4-4. A block from Haggerty and two errors from IU gave Nebraska a 7-4 lead, while a tip from Mancuso made it 8-5, Huskers. Nebraska would take a 10-6 lead on back-to-back kills by Mancuso, while Strange would post the last two kills of the set for the Huskers, guiding NU to the 15-10 fifth-set win and 3-2 match win.

Nebraska returns home next weekend, hosting the Wisconsin Badgers on Friday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. and the Minnesota Gophers on Sunday, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m.